PHOTOS: North Houston area businesses, restaurants reopen at 25% capacity
Diners sit outside at World of Beer at the Boardwalk at Towne Lake in Cypress, which reopened for dine-in service with limited capacity May 1. (Shawn Arrajj/Community Impact Newspaper)
Diners sit outside at World of Beer at the Boardwalk at Towne Lake in Cypress, which reopened for dine-in service with limited capacity May 1. (Shawn Arrajj/Community Impact Newspaper)
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Wearing masks, residents enter a store at 202 N. Main St. in Conroe.
(Andy Li/Community Impact Newspaper)Many small businesses in Old Town Tomball, such as Craving Kernels and Market Street Cafe on Market Street, reopened May 1 to customers as some business restrictions were lifted. (Anna Lotz/Community Impact Newspaper)Gnome Sweet Gnome reopened May 1 after remaining closed for six weeks due to the coronavirus. Owner Sally Kelly said she had been very busy on her first day open, even with maintaining a 25% occupancy. (Kelly Schafler/Community Impact Newspaper)Many restaurants and retailers in Kingwood Town Center were open for business on May 1. Va Va Bloom was selling some of its art pieces at a discount outside the shop. (Kelly Schafler/Community Impact Newspaper)The Old Town Spring Farmer's Market made its debut in the Immanuel United Church of Christ parking lot on May 1. (Hannah Zedaker/Community Impact Newspaper)People gather at the Boardwalk at Towne Lake in Cypress on May 1. (Shawn Arrajj/Community Impact Newspaper)Community members gather at the Tomball Historic Depot Plaza on May 1. (Anna Lotz/Community Impact Newspaper)Chachi's Mexican Restaurant in Kingwood Town Center was open and serving customers for dine-in on May 1. Indoor and outdoor dining was offered. (Kelly Schafler/Community Impact Newspaper)The Houston Premium Outlet Mall in Cypress reopened May 1 with new guidelines to control the spread of COVID-19. Seats were available in the food court, but some benches in communal areas still had barriers May 1. (Shawn Arrajj/Community Impact Newspaper)A sparse crowd of shoppers browsed stores at the Houston Premium Outlet Mall in Cypress May 1. (Shawn Arrajj/Community Impact Newspaper)Cars lined up in downtown Conroe. (Andy Li/Community Impact Newspaper)Russo's New York Pizzeria intended to open for dine-in dinner at 4 p.m. May 1. Indoor and outdoor tables were marked if they broke the 6-foot social distancing requirements. (Kelly Schafler/Community Impact Newspaper)Diners could be seen enjoying meals at both Mia Bella Trattoria and El Tiempo Cantina in Vintage Park on May 1. (Hannah Zedaker/Community Impact Newspaper)Chachi's Mexican Restaurant in Kingwood Town Center was open and serving customers for dine-in on May 1. Indoor and outdoor dining was offered. (Kelly Schafler/Community Impact Newspaper)The Shack in Cypress was one of several restaurants to reopen for dine-in services May 1. Owner Joe Duong said his large outdoor patio provides space for diners to spread out. (Shawn Arrajj/Community Impact Newspaper)Many businesses in Market Street of The Woodlands have opened. (Andy Li/Community Impact Newspaper)
From Downtown Conroe to Old Town Spring, retailers and restaurants across north Houston began the process of reopening May 1. Under recently relaxed guidelines from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, all nonessential retailers and restaurants must operate at no more than 25% capacity in an effort to minimize the spread of COVID-19.
Although the stay-at-home order has expired, public health officials in Harris County have continued to ask people to avoid nonessential travel, wear face coverings when in public and follow hygiene guidelines.
"We are still experiencing entirely way too many COVID-19 cases in our community to become noncommittal," Harris Health System President Dr. Esmaeil Porsa said May 1. "As we take a moment to appreciate out collective success in flattening the curve, I want us to be mindful of the danger that remains and ask everyone to join me to double down and do absolutely everything we can as we take steps to reclaim our lives."
While some restaurants are continuing to operate on a strictly to-go basis, and some businesses are opting to stay closed altogether. The gallery above includes scenes from parts of the north Houston area that are up and running.
Just two weeks after severe winter weather dropped Harris County temperatures below freezing for three consecutive days, which led to widespread power outages, loss of water and the deaths of at least 50 county residents, Harris County Commissioners Court called for major reform at the state level regarding the Texas power grid and related energy policies.
The number of active cases in Cy-Fair has not been this low since late November, but 34 local residents died with COVID-19 in February—up from 16 in January.
Two flood-control projects in the city of Jersey Village are moving forward after city council members unanimously approved two contracts at a Feb. 22 meeting.
The Texas Legislature held hearings Feb. 25 with energy companies including Oncor Electric Delivery and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas in response to last week’s historic winter storm, which left millions of Texans without electricity for days.
Keith Luechtefeld spoke with Community Impact Newspaper about some of the short-term and long-term repercussions of the storm as well as some of the reasons why so many homes saw burst pipes during the freezing weather.
“It's been a rough year for us economically; it's been a rough year for us public health wise. It's just been a rough year for us psychologically—first the coronavirus and then the freeze," said Patrick Jankowski, senior vice president of research with the Greater Houston Partnership.
